SPOTIFY VERSION OF BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN TOUR OPENER

I'm new to Spotify, and I'm using this to experiment with it. I wasn't able to go to opening night of Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band's tour for Wrecking Ball, so I have been following the show on Twitter and Instagram. Spotify allows you to use people's public social media posts to tell a story, so this is how I'm telling the story of the concert I wish I'd attended tonight!

"CHIMES OF FREEDOM" - THE BOB DYLAN TRIBUTE

Amnesty International recently released Chimes Of Freedom: The Songs of Bob Dylan Honouring 50 Years Of Amnesty International. I wonder if it started out as a single CD.  It's a 4 CD set.  And you could probably fill four more CDs with amazing songs that aren't on this one, and artists who couldn't have been included.

I really dig it, and was glad to discuss it today on The Morning Jolt with Larry Flick -- it was my return to the show after more than a month away.  It was great to hang out with Larry and Keith Price again.

Anyway, I'm not reviewing Chimes right now: instead, I'm going to tweet a review of a different song each day for the next 72 days.  Follow me at @noexpiration, or search the hashtag #chimesoffreedom.  I'll probably aggregate all of them in a post when I'm done.

BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN "WRECKING BALL"

Bruce Springsteen's Wrecking Ball is, I guess, to the financial crisis as The Rising was to 9/11. Does it hold up to The Rising?  Tough to say, time will tell.  This Rising is a classic.  It also dealt with an event that was much more cut and dried than the meltdown. We were attacked by terrorists, people died that day. Despite that, Bruce sounds a bit angrier on Wrecking Ball, because, of course, this time we were attacked from within.  This time the attackers aren't on the run hiding in a cave; they're giving themselves bonuses, paying non-union workers to clean their yachts, bending the rules, and generally being celebrated by a large portion of the country.

I just painted in broad stroke, and that's what Bruce is doing on this album, he's not being too subtle. "Wherever this flag's flown/We take care of our own" is very slogan-y, but it works for me. We need rallying cries right now. And, in this era where people are calling basic heath care and retirement benefits "entitlements" (while arguing against any government regulation to any business, regardless of the harm certain businesses do to the environment, economy or our health)... I think reminding people that in America, some of us do want to take care of our own is a lovely, strong and ballsy sentiment. It's one that might have been echoed by a pretty high authority, as Bruce points out on "Jack Of All Trades": "We'll start caring for each other, like Jesus said that we might."

When I listen to the album, I think of the guy from "Factory," off of Darkness On The Edge Of Town. In that song, there was no real sense that things could get better, but it's shocking how much worse that they've actually gotten.  I think that that is sort of the theme of the album.   The mansions of fear and the mansions of pain are tough enough, now you're tellin' me they might not be here tomorrow, because you can get someone to work the working life for even less money? And if I get cancer, I'm out of luck?

Throughout the album, fat-cats steal money and party. It's not too thinly veiled, and it seems like some critics lament this lack of nuance.  I get it: but at the same time, sometimes you fight with finesse, and other times you're just so enraged you go for the roundhouse punch.

I do love that he ended the album with "American Land," which he first started playing on the Seeger Sessions Band tour, and is the one song from that era that he's brought to the E Street Band. It's one of my favorite Bruce songs, and, in my mind, a modern day folk classic. It ends the LP on a somewhat upbeat and optimistic note, which I think we needed.  It reminds me of "Reason To Believe" closing Nebraska.

Sonically, the album is a bit different for Bruce.  I was surprised that he didn't make the LP with producer Brendan O'Brien, who produced The Rising, Devils & Dust, Magic and Working On A Dream. Instead, he went with Ron Aniello, who produced one of Patti Scialfa's albums, and is more known for mainstream pop like Guster, Sixpence None The Richer and Jars Of Clay. Bruce and Ron recorded most of the tracks themselves, with a number of musicians helping out, including some members of The E Street Band. Max Weinberg plays drums on three tracks, Little Steven plays mandolin and sings on "American Land," Patti is all over the album, and there are even two solos by Clarence Clemons (on "Wrecking Ball," which the band performed towards the end of their last tour, and "Land Of Hope And Dreams," which they've been playing since the 1999 reunion tour). Extended E Street Band members show up: keyboardist Charlie Giordano is on a number of tracks (but Roy Bittan isn't on the album at all) as is violinist/singer Soozie Tyrell.  There are other familiar names including Steve Jordan, Lisa Lowell and even Bruce fan #1 Tom Morello. Bruce combines the big-band-party-like-it's-1939 sound of the Seeger Sessions Band with the anthemic power of E Street.  I suspect that if this was 10 or 15 years ago, he may have thought about using a different band on the road, but with the passing of Clarence and Danny Federici, I don't think Bruce wants to take another band on the road, and push back the next E Street tour a few more years.

He knows that to bring his most powerful messages to the people, he needs the E Street Band. Doesn't matter if the band didn't make the music, they are the best band to deliver it.  And really, who else is bringing it the way Bruce does, and has been doing, for decades?

These days, "selling out" and not "selling out" are almost antiquated ideas.  The very idea of worrying about it seems quaint. But I'm glad Bruce is still out there not selling out and keeping the faith. Since he did "41 Shots" on the reunion tour, Bruce has been expressing his beliefs and standing behind them, no matter what the cost in fans, dollars or headaches, and I'm glad he's still doing it.

THE ALLMAN BROTHERS' MARCH MADNESS KICKOFF

The Allman Brothers Band 3/9/12 credit: Brian Ives

On Friday night I saw opening night of The Allman Brothers Band's annual March Madness at New York City's Beacon Theater. I actually went the first year that they did it, 1992.  It was great then, and they were positively mind-blowing Friday.  I wrote a review for my new job at CBS, but I can't editorialize much in that role.

I brought this up in the article, but I think there's a serious argument to be made that the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame should update the Allmans' membership.  Right now, the founding members are in: keyboardist/singer Gregg Allman, drummer/percussionists Jaimoe and Butch Trucks, the late lead guitarist Duane Allman, the late bassist Berry Oakley, and guitarist/singer Dickey Betts, who is no longer a part of the band.  I think that guitarist/singer Warren Haynes, percussionist Marc Quinones, guitarist Derek Trucks, bassist Oteil Burbridge and late bassist Allen Woody should all be in as well. I've been thinking this for a while, but after Friday night's show, I'm sure of it. I cannot think of any other Rock and Roll Hall of Fame band who developed that much in the years since being inducted.  I can't think of any other Rock and Roll Hall of Fame band that I think should have an "updated" lineup of inducted members.

Despite the fact that they don't record much anymore, this band is as vital and as alive as any that you'll see.  Yes, Gregg, Jaimoe and Butch have been playing many of these songs for decades, but Warren, Derek, Oteil and Marc give them new life.  You never watch Derek and feel like you're seeing a nostalgia act.  It's real, it's in the moment, it's vital, it breathes.  Those of you who have read No Expiration for a while, you know I'm not a "jam band" guy per se (although I respect the scene).  The thing about The Allmans, their music has a punch and a power that most jam bands don't have. Yes, some of their songs get a bit too long (I don't want to hear "Mountain Jam" ever), but many of their long songs work incredibly well. Don't believe me?  Well, there's eight nights left to this year's March Madness, why don't you go check it out?

MY FIRST BRUCE SHOW: CRISTINA PALUMBO

I've seen Bruce Springsteen in concert 20+ times, and it's still exciting every time.  On his last tour, two of my friends went to see him for the first time. I thought that it was so cool, after hearing people rave about Bruce for decades, that they finally got around to seeing him.  So, on this tour, I'm looking for people who are going to see Bruce for the first time to guest blog, and write about the experience.

First up: a former SiriusXM colleague Cristina Palumbo. She is a on-air sidekick on two SiriusXM shows: The Alex Bennett Program (hear it weekdays 7-10am ETon SiriusXM Left)
and The Jay Thomas Show (weekdays 3-6pm ET on SiriusXM Stars Too). You can follow her on Twitter (and I recommend that you do) and follow her hijinks on Facebook. First time I met Cristina I was producing a shoot where people were trying out to be on a reality show on Playboy TV. Everything Cristina said in the control room was hilarious. She's made me laugh many times since then, and one of these days, someone is going to give her her own radio show.

Anyway, she was fortunate enough to attend Bruce Springsteen's concert at the Apollo Theater last Friday night and was generous enough to offer to review it for No Expiration.  So, here's what she said:

"By no means have I ever considered myself a die hard Springsteen fan. If I had to choose sides of the never ending new jersey battle I was always half way there and living on a prayer. All that changed Friday night when I saw Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band live at the Apollo for the 10th birthday of SiriusXM. I've been to a handful of concerts in my life including two of Cher's many farewell tours (go ahead and laugh but you haven’t lived until you have partied in a stadium filled with gay men in sailor hats) but I have never seen a show like this before.

Growing up my parents were fans of different types of music and exposed me to all of it. As an only child I kept myself occupied by 'choreographing' dance routines and 'hosting' radio shows in my bedroom for hours. I would tap into my parents collection of music which introduced me to Bruce for the first time. I can remember spotting the iconic Born in the USA cover art preserved behind the cloudy cassette plastic cover. I put it in my duel cassette player, envisioned myself in a stadium at halftime and performed the number of a lifetime. At 31 years old I remember this like it was yesterday, and Friday night's concert put my awesome bedroom performance to shame.

Once I got over the fact that I was getting drinks from the same bar as Paul Rudd I found my seat and was prepared to sing 'Born in the USA' louder than any real Springsteen fan. To my disappointment it's not 1984. No 'Born to Run' or '57 Channels (And Nothin’ On)' either. To be under the same roof doing the same thing as Tom Hanks only 5 rows behind him was an experience in itself. Turns out there is way more to Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band than terrestrial radio ever told me. Only a few songs rang a bell, I only knew four of them. I know, that’s a total disgrace, but my appreciation for Bruce and the band has certainly changed dramatically!

The energy in the room was electric. The space at the Apollo was so intimate that the sound from the horns bounced off the walls and into my intestines. Bruce was up every aisle, hanging from the balconies and at one point basically singing in Ben Stiller’s lap. The energy coming out of this 62 year old man makes me want to drink green vegetables three times a day. From start to finish the show was incredible and at times inspirational as Bruce told little anecdotes of how the band got their start, through the years of being on the road and giving people along the way a chance to show their talents. If I don’t leave my seat at least once to use the restroom, chalk it up to awesome.

I can honestly say I walked into the Apollo with the appreciation any regular person would have of someone with a very real gift. I left the Apollo a fan.

P.S.  iTunes, you're welcome for my most recent purchases."


So there you have it!  Thank you Cristina for taking the time, and hopefully there's a couple of more accounts of first-time Springsteen concert goers to come.   (and by the way, the photo is Cristina's as well.)

ROBERT JOHNSON AT 100 - THE BLUES LIVE ON

After months of not going to concerts, last night I went to my first show since the fall, and boy did I pick a good one.  The Robert Johnson tribute concert at the Apollo Theater, celebrating what would have been his 100th birthday. As you can see by the image to the left, it was a pretty great bill, with lots of my favorite acts there.

I already wrote a review, which you can read here: but it was very classic rock-oriented, as I wrote it for that format. But to reiterate, Living Colour killed it. They kind of reminded everyone just how exciting, explosive and vibrant it can be when the blues is brought to life with LOUD electric guitars.  But I have to ask how it is that Corey Glover seems to age in reverse?  His voice is amazing, and he seems to have more control of it now than he did two decades ago. Vernon Reid is just a monster on guitar. Their performance by themselves was great, as were their collaborations with Shemekia Copeland and Sarah Dash.

The Roots were amazing as always: Black Thought wasn't with them. Instead, guitarist Captain Kirk Douglas took the vocals on "Milkcow's Calf Blues."  I love Black Thought, but they could have a parallel career as a rock band if they wanted to. Macy Gray did a great take on "Come On In My Kitchen." Taj Majal and Bettye Lavette were commanding presences every time they hit the stage, and what a treat to get to see both Sam Moore (of Sam & Dave) and Allen Toussaint perform.  Most of these artists wouldn't be who you'd expect at a Robert Johnson tribute, but that's what made it cool. It showed that his influence extends far beyond "blues rock" artists.

It was also nice to see some younger artists:  The Dough Rollers are a traditional country blues-ish duo who were amazing, and The Pedrito Martinez Group were pretty exciting also.  I plan on checking them both out. Proof that, as I often say, the blues is alive and well.

VH1 100 GREATEST WOMEN: M.I.A.

Forget the antics, and some of the stuff she's said in interviews.  M.I.A. has made some of the best music since the turn of the millennium.  You can never box her in: she's hip-hop, she's dance, and at least in spirit, she's punk rock. But she doesn't conform to the rules of any of those genres.

Her 2005 debut Arular knocked the music world on its ass.  The song "Galang" (co-written by her one-time roomate, Justine Frischmann, formerly of elastica) just sounded so different. 2007's Kala featured the Clash-sampling "Paper Planes" (itself sampled by Jay-Z, T.I., Kanye West and Lil Wayne on their hit, "Swagga Like Us"). That album brought her to another level, especially after "Swagga" (and her memorable performance at the Grammys, while incredibly pregnant).

I thought 2010's Maya would bring her to the next level, especially because her song "XXXO" seemed like a huge hit (it wasn't). It probably should have been the first single, but instead she went with the Suicide-sampling "Born Free" (which had one of the heaviest videos you'll ever see).

I don't think her Super Bowl antics will ultimately help her out too much, but I for one am looking forward to her next album, and I hope that people can hear it with an open mind.

VH1 100 GREATEST: THE INDIGO GIRLS

First off, I've been away from the blog for a minute.  Sorry about that.  I have a new job.  More on that later.

Secondly, it's been a while since VH1's 100 Greatest Women in Music countdown ended, but my other posts are still doing pretty well, so I'll write a few more.  It's always exciting, and a true honor, to be asked to be on a VH1 show.  The way this one turned out, I didn't get to comment about some of my favorite artists.  Not that I'm complaining!  But I'm taking to my blog to say what I would have said, if I was in those segments.

So: The Indigo Girls. I love them. I saw them open for Neil Young on his solo acoustic tour in the summer of 1989, when he was trying out songs that would later end up on Freedom. I caught the end of their set, and I thought they were great.  At the time, they had a semi-hit single with "Closer To Fine" from their self titled LP from that year (it wasn't their debut, but it was their major label debut).  I picked it up, and loved it. After that - it was album after album after album of great music.  I bonded with some women who used to frequent the bar that I DJed at in college over our shared love of The Girls.  Fans definitely identified with one or the other.  I love Emily Sailers, but I definitely identified with Amy Ray more.  She's much more punk rock.  I love both of their guitar styles, both of their songs (they never really wrote together, I like Amy's more), and their politics. They definitely put their money where their mouths are.  They have never sold out, or even approached selling out. They don't get enough credit for that.  The rock critic types tend to make fun of them, I guess because they are ernest.

Years after becoming a fan, I got to meet them on a number of occasions:  I interviewed them a bunch of times, and even wrote their record label bio (twice!).  If any of their hard core fans are reading this, they should know: Amy and Emily are as cool in real life as you'd think.

What albums would I recommend?  If you had to pick one, you should go with the double live album, 1200 Curfews from 1995. I think it's one of the best live albums ever, it really gives the vibe of what their shows were like.  It's almost like they weren't a part of the music business.  They had nothing to do with anything that was ever going on around them, they were always themselves.  The fans loved them for it, and you really hear it on this album.  As far as studio albums go, wow... start with The Indigo Girls and go forward from there. 1994's Swamp Ophelia is one of their most popular records (it had two hits, "Power Of Two" and "Least Complicated").  I remember the somewhat bizarre experience of seeing them on that tour at a Z100 Christmas concert.  1999's Come On Now Social and 2002's Become You are both really great also.  My favorite might be 1992's Rites Of Passage.

I gotta give VH1 credit for including them in the countdown.  No one would have yelled at them if they didn't.  The Girls really do exist outside the mainstream these days, they aren't with a huge management company or label.  The VH1 folks (and yes I used to work there) included them because they deserved to be there, and that's based on how great their music has been over the past (almost) 25 years.

VH1 100 GREATEST: MACY GRAY

I was stoked to see Macy Gray included on VH1's 100 Greatest Women in Music countdown. How many artists of either sex, of any genre, are as unique as her? One note in, and you know who's singing. How many other artists can you say that about?

On one hand, her first hit "I Try" could have come from the pre-rock and roll pop era. On the other, she collaborates with hip-hop artists like The Black Eyed Peas, Mos Def and OutKast. (I'd love to see her on the Rock The Bells tour). And she can roll with the rock crowd: she's jammed with Tom Morello and Velvet Revolver and I once saw her open for Bowie.

I though VH1 might forget her: she made such a huge splash when her debut album, On How Life Is, came out in 1999, and has never really matched the commercial performance of that LP. And I think it's her best album, but she's done some great stuff since then.  But if you're just checking her out, I'd definitely recommend On How Life Is, and from there, pick up The Very Best Of Macy Gray. It has an underrated track that is one of her best ever: a song she did with Fatboy Slim, "Demons."  Actually, check out that song no matter what, it's amazing and you'll thank me.

VH1 100 GREATEST: KIM DEAL

There's lots of great artists on VH1's 100 Greatest Women countdown, and many of them were in great bands.  But how many of them were in two great bands? Just Kim Deal.

She was the bass player in The Pixies.  If you're a true music fan, you know that they are one of the greatest bands ever. And even though she wasn't their lead singer (that would be Black Francis), she sang what was probably their best song, "Gigantic." If you haven't heard it, check it out. But her bass playing was bouncy and made the songs much more fun than they would have been without her.  The Pixies are a band who absolutely deserve to be in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

During breaks from The Pixies, she started her own band, The Breeders, where she took the singer/songwriter role. Their debut album, Pod, was great. After The Pixies broke up, The Breeders put out Last Splash, which featured the huge hit "Cannonball," but the entire LP was great. There was a weird dichotomy with Kim, because she looked so normal, but musically, she was so weird, but in a really welcoming way.  It was fun to listen to her music, and you usually felt like she was having a great time.

I know she went through a lot of issues through the late '90s and early '00s, but now with the Pixies reunited (for touring, not recording, it seems) and The Breeders back in business, it seems like she's back for the long haul.  I don't know if she has any Last Splashes left in her, but it's always interesting to check out what she's up to.   If you want to check her music out (and you should) try The Pixies' Surfer Rosa and Dolittle, and The Breeders' Pod, the Safari EP and Last Splash. They are so easy to like, it's surprising in a way that they weren't all hit albums.

VH1 100 GREATEST: KIM GORDON

I was kinda bummed not to be included in the segment on VH1's 100 Greatest Women countdown about Kim Gordon of Sonic Youth. She's an incredible musician and a great presence.  I've seen a number of SY shows. On a great night, they are pretty powerful, and they usually have great nights. I always felt like Kim was the band's leader, I don't know why.  She sang some of their coolest songs (like "Kool Thing" and "100%") and had the most charisma.

Although I'm sometimes critical of the indie rock scene that Sonic Youth are icons of, I think that SY is one of the best bands of the past 30 years (and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame ought to recognize that, and soon). They've certainly been one of the most influential.  It's kind of a bummer that the band is most likely splitting up, but they ended on a high note: their last two albums, 2006's Rather Ripped and 2009's The Eternal were really great. But for me, their best LPs are 1986's EVOL (which features the great "Expressway To Yr. Skull"), 1990's Goo, 1992's Dirty, 1994's Experimental Jet set, Trash and No Star. But my favorite two are 1988's Daydream Nation and and 1995's Washing Machine. I don't know what I'd recommend as far as a starting point, they're so uncommercial and it's hard to "get" them at first. But once you do, it's worth it.

VH1 100 GREATEST: PJ HARVEY

One artist who Larry Flick and I never ever ever EVER agree on is PJ Harvey. She is one of my favorite artists ever, I was glad to see her in VH1's 100 Greatest Women in Music special tonight.  She'd be in my top 20 for sure.

Just watching the montage of images of her was pretty cool. She doesn't really remind me of any other artist, but if I had to pick one, it would be Bowie. Someone on the show said this, but every PJ Harvey album has a concept (and I always felt the same was true for Bowie).  As with Bowie, she has a look for each album. And not a look that a stylist is coming up with. I never feel like a "fashion expert" tells Bowie what to wear.  And I doubt any such "expert" would survive telling Polly what outfits she should be rockin'. Certain albums feature her playing certain instruments.  Some albums are guitar albums. One was a harp album. Sometimes, she's only singing. It's almost like she inhabits a different character every time, and each character has a different take on life, a different style, a different talent. She has a vision for every single thing that she does. You never get the sense that she's putting out an album because it's been two years since her last one.  When I think of artists who should get into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in the next few years, she's on the shortlist.

She's put out so many classic albums.  Her first two, 1992's Dry and 1993's Rid Of Me, are raw as hell, and they're as heavy as Slayer. Then she completely changed things up on her third LP, 1995's To Bring You My Love, produced by Flood. I've never heard anything like that album before or since.

In 2000, she put out Stories From The City, Stories From The Sea, which I love (although she's kind of said that she doesn't like that one). It's a cleaner, almost arena ready sound (and in fact, the songs sounded great when she performed them at Madison Square Garden opening for U2). But she never repeated that either. Then, last year's Let England Shake was one of her most challenging and rewarding LPs. It topped critics polls (in the U.K., not as much here in the U.S.) and was my ninth favorite album of 2011.

VH1'S 100 GREATEST: MEG WHITE

It was a huge honor to be asked to be a commentator for VH1's 100 Greatest Women in Music. The list seems to be taken from VH1's lifetime - so no Aretha, Billie, Loretta, etc.

But still, there's a lot of great artists included, and I was really glad to see that Meg White of The White Stripes on the list. She was the perfect drummer for that duo, no one else would have worked, no one else could have made it work. She was so amazing.

Unlike her former bandmate Jack White, she doesn't seem to have the itch to make music all the time.  I wonder if she'll ever be in another band.

Personally, I just hope The White Stripes get back together at some point.  It's hard to imagine Meg in any other band (prove me wrong, Meg).  It would be a shame if she actually retired from music.

THE FOO FIGHTERS HAVE A GREAT NIGHT FOR ROCK

I wanted the Foo Fighters' Wasting Light (my second favorite LP of 2011) to win Album of the Year at the Grammys. I'm not mad that Adele won for 21, but wow, Wasting Light was great.

It reunited Dave Grohl with Nirvana bassist Krist Novoselic, Nevermind producer Butch Vig recorded it with them in Dave's garage, and it saw Pat Smear rejoin the band (and there's a great guest appearance by another punk legend, Bob Mould).

I saw some noise on Twitter that the Foo Fighters are the band that always get attention from TV shows.  It's like they are the token rock band for award shows.  And I've read interviews with Dave Grohl where he kind of says that.  I'd agree that some of their albums may get a bit of a "pass," because people buy into Dave so much. They love his story, and by all accounts, he's a really cool guy despite all the band's success.  They have cred, but they're not snobs. Dave can show up at a punk club one night, and then jam with Paul McCartney at the White House.  People love that.

But in 2011, no other band had a rock record with mainstream appeal that worked from start to finish. Great singles, cool videos, but start to finish the LP works.  It's not just my opinion: I think they played every song on the album at their concerts.  How many bands with that many hits, with that many albums, can play all their new songs in concert and have it go over.  And by the way, their concerts are all in arenas.

I remember seeing one of the Foo Fighters' first shows - opening for Mike Watt before the first LP was out. I don't think it was even common knowledge that it was Dave Grohl's band. They were great, but they were a club band. Years later, I saw them at Giants Stadium opening for The Rolling Stones. They seemed  a bit "fish out of water," but they played with a lot of heart and soul. A few years later, I saw them open/co-headline with The Red Hot Chili Peppers and it clicked. Grohl had opened for them years earlier with Nirvana. I think seeing the Chilis handle playing large venues helped it kick in for him. Today they are one of the mightiest arena bands in the land, and I mean that as a 100% compliment.

I was so glad to see them win a ton of Grammys last night, and of course their main performance rocked (the dance music thing felt a bit forced: I'd like to see them do something with Deadmau5 without the other artists that were included in that).  And seeing Dave jamming with Paul McCartney, Joe Walsh and Bruce Springsteen at the end of the night was amazing. But tonight, he could be at a Bad Brains show. That's what's so great about him.

ADELE, 6 FOR 6 AT THE GRAMMYS

I've listened to Adele's 21 twice in the last two days, before and after The Grammys.  What a triumphant night for her. She deserved every bit of it.

I voted for her a number of times. I wanted Foo Fighters to win Album of The Year for Wasting Light, but I can't be made that Adele won.  Even Dave Grohl has talked about what a great album 21 is.

Of course, with the amount of attention she's gotten and the success she's enjoyed, there are people "hating on her" (in the parlance of the times). I've written about this before. But I'll say it again. Whenever I hear her sing, I believe every word. She doesn't pretend to be anything she isn't.  I don't care if she writes songs or not - but it turns out she co-wrote all of the songs on 21, except for the cover of The Cure's "Lovesong" (which was a very cool arrangement).

I was wondering how good she would sound, and if she was ready to perform after her surgery.  I mean, even if she wasn't ready, there would have been a huge amount of temptation to get her singing a bit early to capitalize on the opportunity to perform at The Grammys, given her six nominations and the fact that her record was the best selling of the year. Well, she was ready, and she proved it.  Now I'm looking forward to whatever she does next.  Obviously I'm not alone there!

WHITNEY HOUSTON R.I.P.

I was trying to think of what I wanted to say about the sad death of Whitney Houston. Scott Ian of Anthrax had a tweet that just about summed it up. "I will remember Whitney Houston for her incredible talent. Her personal life was none of mine or anyone else's business." I wish people knew less about her life. All this media speculation on her is a bit ugly. Let her rest. Respect her children. Talk about the immense impact she had as a singer.

I can't act like I was a big fan when she was coming up in the '80s. It wasn't my thing. What changed my mind? "My Love Is Your Love." Written and produced by Wyclef Jean, something about it just moved me. If I was a singer, I'd cover it. But of course, how can you compare to that voice?

Anyone who was listening to music in the '90s couldn't escape The Bodyguard soundtrack and of course, her version of Dolly Parton's "I Will Always Love You." At the time I wasn't into it, but after "My Love Is Your Love," I heard it again and was stunned. I don't know why I wasn't "hearing" it in the first place, but live and learn.

I was glad that at tonight's Grammys, they didn't do some sort of all-star tribute where everyone tries to outdo each other. Jennifer Hudson did an incredible job at what had to have been an extremely difficult performance (and one that she had about 24 hours to prepare for). She may not have been Whitney, but I think she hit all the right notes, and did it with lots of emotion.  Jennifer Hudson had been through a lot, and she knows pain, and it seems like she's gotten through it. I just wish Whitney could have done the same. Rest in peace.

MY TAKE ON THE M.I.A. THING

I like M.I.A. a lot - her Maya LP was one of my favorites of 2010. And I don't hold up the Super Bowl as an event that should set any kind of moral standards, even if it *is* the most watched TV show of the year. But I do think that if the NFL is going to get Madonna to perform, and if she's going to have M.I.A. and Nicki Minaj with her, they should be ready for something that isn't rated G.  Straight up.

That said, if M.I.A. wanted to make some sort of statement, she should have done it.  The middle finger didn't really have much of a point, as far as I could tell.  If she had a statement to make, I wouldn't have had a problem with that, even if it was "off-message" as far as the NFL was concerned.

Madonna's new song, "Give Me All Your Lovin'" isn't that great (I wanted to like it, the idea of Madonna, Minaj and M.I.A. on one track is a cool one), and this brought a lot of attention to it that it wouldn't otherwise have gotten (and maybe that was the point).

All that said, Madonna looked great, and I like M.I.A.'s new song, "Bad Girls." I look forward to her next record, which is coming out later this year.

DO YOU NEED *ANOTHER* LIVE RUSH ALBUM? YES. YES YOU DO

Well, I do anyway.  Rush recently released Time Machine, their ninth live album, and their fifth in the past decade.  What makes it different? Well, not too much.

But it does feature the band performing their greatest album (arguably) Moving Pictures, start to finish. And yeah, there are plenty of live versions of "Tom Sawyer," "Red Barchetta," and "Limelight" out there (although this "Barchetta" is a bit different, they go into a surf version of main riff). But I don't think the band ever performed "The Camera Eye" on tour before, and longtime Rush fans (myself included) were excited to hear them play it.

They also played two songs from their upcoming album, "BU2B" and "Caravan." Supposedly that album is coming out this year.  There's also a new Neil Peart drum piece "Moto Perpetuo" which has more of his jazz/swing influence. What else is different about the album?  They add a bit of reggae (yes, really) to "Working Man." So, really, it's not a totally essential to have.  But for Rush fans, well, anything new is fun to have. That's how we roll.

THE LITTLE WILLIES - "FOR THE GOOD TIMES"

I am a big fan of The Little Willies, the group featuring
Norah Jones and some of the musicians who backed her on her debut album, 2002's Come Away With Me.  My understanding of how the band got together is that, after all the hype from the first album got too crazy, Norah just wanted to go out and play Willie Nelson covers, and just be a band member, not necessarily the frontwoman. I think it developed a bit from there, to the point that they played other people's songs, and even wrote a few new ones.

I'd heard rumors about Norah and The Little Willies.  When I interviewed her for VH1 on the day that her second album, 2004's Feels Like Home came out, she told me after the interview that she was doing a gig that night with The Little Willies, and that it was like $5 cover or something. I was amazed.  On the day she releases the followup to one of the most successful debut albums in history, she's playing a bar with her undercover covers band. The following year, The Little Willies released their self-titled debut album, and I think they toured a bit too.

Last year, they announced their second album, For The Good Times. I was kind of surprised: Norah and bassist Lee Alexander were a couple and split up a few years ago.  So I didn't think that they'd get the band back together.  But it makes sense that the album was named after the classic Kris Kristofferson track: it's about looking back at the good times of a now-defunct relationship.  And anyway, it sounds like they had a blast making this record.  Songs like "If You've Got The Money, I've Got The Time" and "Foul Owl On The Prowl" show Norah letting her hair down a bit, as it were.  She doesn't always sing lead: "Diesel Smoke, Dangerous Curves," (featuring her on supporting vocals) is definitely one of the highlights.   So is the cover of Dolly Parton's "Jolene."  They also do Loretta Lynn's "Fist City," but it's hard to imagine her holding someone by the hair of their head and lifting them off of the ground.

It's interesting that I'm writing this the day that Norah's record label have announced that her next album, coming out later this year, will be produced by Danger Mouse, with whom Norah collaborated on the Rome album. I've got to think that that will be a lot different from The Little Willies, it's certainly not going to be straight up roots music.  But I'm definitely looking forward to it.

BACK IN THE DAY: THE BEASTIE BOYS "PAUL'S BOUTIQUE"

Well, there's nothing like it.  The Beastie Boys' Paul's Boutique didn't sound like any record that came before it, or anything since.

I remember buying it when it first came out, but I don't remember why I bought it.  I liked a bunch of songs on their debut album, Licensed To Ill. But it seemed like a novelty album, and it's appeal was... I'd describe it as douche-y.  Also their style was very derivative of Run-D.M.C.'s (understandable as they were a big influence and both groups were produced by Rick Rubin).

I think I may have heard "Hey Ladies" and thought that they didn't sound like they'd progressed too much. But the music was so much... thicker. I was intrigued.  So I picked it up.  When I first listened to the record, I was puzzled.  What the hell?  I know a lot of other people had the same experience.

But every time I came back to the album, I liked it a little bit more. I was always catching new references in the lyrics and in the music.  In fact, there is an entire website that explains every reference and lists every sample.  And there's a great book about the album that tells you just about everything about how it was made - it's part of the excellent 33 1/3 series.  You couldn't make an album like this today without a multi-million dollar sample-clearance budget and probably an army of lawyers.  I mean, they sampled The Beatles! You just couldn't do that today, but back then, there were no rules about it.  It was a cool era: other hip-hop LPs like Public Enemy's It Takes A Nation Of Millions To Hold Us Back and de la soul's 3 Feet High and Rising were similarly dense with samples, but no one can (legally) release albums like those today.  It's interesting to note, though, that this album was about the time where hip-hop's mainstream started losing interest in the Beasties.  On Licensed, they were signed to Def Jam and were managed by RUSH (both owned by Russell Simmons).  On this album, they left New York for L.A., ditched Def Jam and signed to Capitol (who didn't really have a hip-hop team in place), left RUSH management, and moved on from producer Rubin to The Dust Brothers.

Today, it's one of my favorite albums, and unlike Licensed To Ill, it's aged really well, and still sounds ahead of its time.

CHRIS CORNELL'S "SONGBOOK" AND "THE KEEPER"

I saw Chris Cornell on his solo tour last year, and was blown away, so I was glad when I heard he was putting out a live Songbook album. Like Eddie Vedder, Chris Cornell is making a good case for having parallel careers with a band, and as a solo acoustic troubadour.

The album starts and ends with brand new songs that he hadn't released before this. The first two tracks "As Hope And Promise Fade" and "Scar On The Sky" show that he still has lots of great songs in him. It's hard to imagine Soundgarden (or even Audioslave) doing "As Hope And Promise Fade." I would imagine this is the direction his solo career will go in.  He sings really honestly about some of his issues.  The line "You're never more than two drinks away from crying" kills me. "Scar On The Sky" sounds like it could be a classic Soundgarden slow tune. I just wonder: can he still write rockers?

The LP ends with "The Keeper," a studio track (not from the live performances) that he recorded for the film Machine Gun Preacher. It's an amazing song (I haven't seen the film) that somehow lost to Madonna's "Masterpiece" (cough) from a film she directed W.E. I like Madonna, but Chris's song is way better (and so is Mary J. Blige's "The Living Proof" from The Help).

Back to Songbook: most of the album is solo versions of Chris' songs from Soundgarden, Audioslave, Temple Of The Dog and his solo records. He does great versions of these classics.  Soundgarden's "Black Hole Sun" and "Fell On Black Days" sound even more black, and the Audioslave tunes are just as soulful, stripped of their (amazing, face-melting) arrangements.  I love "Doesn't Remind Me" and "Like A Stone." Of course, the Temple songs are incredible. And the album points out that Chris has had some great solo songs - and (sorry) that maybe his much-mocked Scream album would have been better with a producer other than Timbaland. I love lots of records that Timba has worked on, but I just don't think that that combo worked. Maybe someone like Flood or Danger Mouse could do a great, modern-sounding Chris solo record.

My only "complaint?"  Well, I would have loved to hear the Bruce Springsteen covers that Chris performed when I saw him: "Atlantic City" and "State Trooper." And the "bonus tracks" on the album are "different" versions of "As Hope And Promise Fade" and "Call Me A Dog," that aren't much different from the non-bonus track versions of those same songs, on this same album. But I'm not a negative guy, so I'll just hope for a Songbook Vol. 2.  But let's get that new Soundgarden record first!

WILLIE NELSON - "REMEMBER ME VOL. 1"

Late last year, without much hype, Willie Nelson released another album, Remember Me Vol. 1. The LP sees Willie covering some of the biggest classic country hits of all time.

Which is sort of similar to what he did on his last album, Country Music, which was one of my favorite albums of 2010.  That album was produced by T-Bone Burnett, and featured lots of timeless songs.   This one was produced by James Stroud, It doesn't have the sense of occasion that a T-Bone production, but I think it's a cool album.  You really can't go wrong with Willie singing songs like "Remember Me," "Why Baby Why," "I'm Movin' On," "Sunday Morning Comin' Down," "Satisfied Mind" and even "Roly Poly." The album won't change the world or expose Willie to any new fans, but I like it.

I know that there's a Volume 2 coming out later this year, and I've also heard that he's writing new songs for a new album (his last few albums haven't featured his own compositions).  That's what I'm looking forward to: new songs by Willie Nelson.  For now, I'm enjoying this one, if not as much as some of his other great albums like Country Music and Willie & The Wheel.

BACK IN THE DAY: GUNS N ROSES "APPETITE FOR DESTRUCTION"

I've heard a lot of people arguing that Guns N Roses is getting into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame based on one LP, 1987's Appetite For Destruction.  Normally I'd agree, that no band should get in based on one LP.  I'm cool with it.  I don't really have a problem with The Sex Pistols as Hall of Famers (even if they do), and they only had one album.  (But as Larry Flick rightfully points out, Never Mind The Bollocks, Here's The Sex Pistols kicked off a movement in a way that Appetite didn't).

That said, I think AC/DC could have been inducted just for Back In Black*, and the only other hard rock album with the impact of that classic is Appetite For Destruction**.

I remember the first song I heard by Guns was "Welcome To The Jungle," and I'm pretty sure I first experienced it on MTV's Headbanger's Ball.  At the time I was in a very "death to false metal" mode.  There were the cool bands, like Metallica, Slayer, Anthrax, Suicidal Tendencies and Megadeth. And then there were the lame (hair) metal bands, Poison, Warrant, Motley Crue, etc***.  Guns seemed to fall somewhere in between. They certainly weren't thrash.  They had a lot more of a Stonesy groove than the thrash bands (or the metal legends like Maiden and Priest) that I loved.  But they also seemed to have a little in common with the pop metal scene. I wasn't hugely into punk rock at the time, but I knew they had a punk influence going on.  They didn't sound totally original per se, but they definitely sounded different.  I got Appetite right after that Headbanger's Ball episode.

I was BLOWN AWAY. I could not believe how badass this album was.  The guitars were amazing, but never annoying like the shredders who were all the rage at the time. The bass was funky and cool. The drums swung (even though the drummer looked like he could fit into Ratt). And the singer: I'd never heard anything like this guy.

Most of the songs were like a fist to the face.  But then there was "Sweet Child O' Mine."  It was tender, but not wimpy, and had one of the coolest riffs I'd ever heard.  The only song I didn't like was "Paradise City," with it's synthesizers and chorus that kind of sounded like something Bon Jovi would do. To this day, I don't really dig that one, but I can tolerate it, and it doesn't ruin the album.

I don't listen to Guns as much these days, I don't know why.  I think Axl has lowered their status in my eyes, by turning the band into his solo project.  I don't mind when Trent Reznor does that with Nine Inch Nails, because that group was always Trent's project.  But I think Guns without Slash and Duff McKagan just isn't Guns.  I was OK with Gilby Clarke replacing Izzy Stradlin', and totally OK with Matt Sorum replacing Steven Adler. But no Slash and no Duff?  That's a dealbreaker.  I wouldn't buy into Guns without Axl either, of course. I know Axl's current version of Guns is touring and playing all of the Appetite songs, but I just can't imagine it sounds nearly as good as it would the original guys.

Anyway, I'm listening to the album as I write this, and it is still incredible.  Even, I must admit, "Paradise City." If you haven't heard it in a while, check it out.

* That said, I prefer Bon Scott-era AC/DC to Brian Johnson's era, but you just can't deny Back In Black.
**By the way, I'd argue that Guns did have a good handful of classics from after Appetite: certainly "Patience" from Lies, and "Dust N Bones," "Bad Obsession," "Civil War," "14 Years" and especially "You Could Be Mine" from the Use Your Illusion albums.
*** I've mellowed a bit on the hair metal thing.  I don't own any of their records, but I can definitely acknowledge that most of the hair metal bands had some good songs.  And, full disclosure, I wrote liner notes for some Warrant reissues, the younger me would have considered that a major "sell out."

TOMORROW NIGHT ON THE CATHOLIC CHANNEL - DAVE MATTHEWS' MUSIC

Tomorrow night I'll make my first appearance of 2012 on The Busted Halo Show on SiriusXM's Catholic Channel. It's always fun to hang with Father Dave, Robyn and Brett. Now they have a new board op, a good friend of mine named Christian.  I hung out with Christian at the Rock The Bells festival two summers ago, and we've worked together a number of times since.

Anyway, I'm dedicating my appearance to a friend who is no longer with us.  She was a huge Dave Matthews fan, so I'm playing some Dave songs in her memory.  It's all songs with The Dave Matthews Band, not from his solo stuff or his live material with Tim Reynolds.

A lot of people blow off Dave: in some ways, he combines two things that are very "uncool" in hipster circles: his roots are in the jamband scene, and he has huge appeal with soccer moms.

To me, Dave is a bit different than the rest of the jam band scene in that his lyrics are pretty important (and I don't think he gets the credit he deserves for being pretty heavy and dark). Also, he keeps the songs relatively short (at least in the studio) and tuneful... hence, he has a ton of hit singles. Hence, his appeal to soccer moms. He isn't a metal dude or a punk dude or an "alternative" dude or an indie rocker. He's a regular guy with a kind of awkward sensibility. I'm not the hugest fan: I have most of his studio albums and some live ones.  I don't need to have every one.  I rarely see his concerts - the long jams just aren't my thing. But I have a ton of respect for the guy, he deals with his stardom as well as probably anyone.  He enjoys it, but doesn't let it dictate what he does creatively. I've had the pleasure of interviewing him, and he seems to be a great guy.  

I had two songs that I definitely wanted to use - "Ants Marching" and "Everyday."  "Ants Marching" was the first song I ever heard by Dave.  I was at the H.O.R.D.E. tour and I heard this weird riff coming from the small stage.  I went to check it out.  This band featured black and white guys, guitar, violin and sax.  I thought, "man, this is great, but they'll never get big, they're too different." Oops! I think of that every time I heard the riff.  "Everyday" is a rare instance of a video really enhancing the song.  If you've never seen it, check it out.   I "crowdsourced" the third song on my personal Facebook page, and if you want to hear what song it is, well, you gotta tune in.  If you have a subscription, great! I'm on The Catholic Channel at 7:20 pm-ish.  If not, go here to get a free online trial subscription.

TRENT REZNOR'S "GIRL WITH THE DRAGON TATTOO" SCORE

Trent Reznor has always been great at combining music with visuals, from his disturbing Nine Inch Nails videos, to the soundtracks of Natural Born Killers and Lost Highway (he produced both), to last year's Oscar/Golden Globe winning score to The Social Network to this year's score to The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo.

I know that Dragon was nominated for a Golden Globe the other night and lost to The Artist (a movie I want to see, although there is some controversy about that film's score), and I'm sure it will be nominated for an Oscar.

I loved Trent's score for The Social Network last year (by the way, I should mention that he works on his scores with Atticus Ross, they are also bandmates in How To Destroy Angels).  But Dragon is on a whole other level.  I haven't read the book, but when I do, I will be playing the score -- it really adds to the film, and is almost its own character.

I also loved that Trent had Karen O of the Yeah Yeah Yeah's cover Led Zeppelin's "Immigrant Song" for the opening sequence of the film.  I thought that Trent didn't even like Zeppelin, but I'm glad he choose that song, it really works well.  I wonder if Trent (and Dragon/Social Network director David Finch) will work together on the sequel, The Girl Who Played With Fire. The film worked on every level: the music, the cinematography, the acting and of course the great Steig Larsson story. I'm looking forward to the next installment.

And I'm also looking forward to the new How To Destroy Angels album, supposedly due out this year. Trent has even said that he's considering doing more Nine Inch Nails music as well.

METALLICA "BEYOND MAGNETIC"

With very little hype, Metallica released the Beyond Magnetic EP at the end of last year. Made up of four songs that didn't make the Death Magnetic LP (produced by Rick Rubin), they played all four of these songs during their four night, 30th anniversary celebration at the Fillmore in San Francisco. (I'll be writing a separate post about that: all four shows are available at Metallica's website as paid downloads, and so far, they are worth the money).

This EP is like Reload to Death Magnetic's Load.  From the same sessions, but a bit more expansive, more jams.   I like the songs, especially the last one "Rebel Of Babylon." Like Death Magnetic, it recalls Master Of Puppets, but (sadly) without any songs that are quite that classic.

Still, it is well timed, coming shortly after the release of their double album with Lou Reed, Lulu. After that rather avant-garde project, it's good to remind everyone that Metallica is a metal band. (That said, I think Metallica made a great backing band for Lou on his Velvet Underground classics "Sweet Jane" and "White Light/White Heat.")

"(AHK-TOONG BAY-BI) COVERED" REVIEWED

There were so many great releases towards the end of 2011, so if you have missed this gem I'll give you a pass.  But it's time to catch up!  (Ahk-toong Bay-bi) Covered is a tribute to U2's classic Achtung Baby LP from 1991. The original is one of my favorite albums ever, so I was a bit worried about this... but the talent lineup on it is incredible.

By the way, this was originally available only in the UK, it came with an issue of Q magazine. In the US, you can download it at iTunes, with proceeds going towards Concern, an organization dedicated to working with the world's poorest people to improve their lives.

The album starts out with Nine Inch Nails covering "Zoo Station," which is surprising on several levels. One, I thought Trent Reznor was done with NIN.  I guess not?  Second, I thought he didn't like U2, although I guess if he liked any of their albums, it would be this one (when it came out, I thought it sounded like U2 were influenced by NIN's debut, 1989's Pretty Hate Machine). Third, NIN's versions is so different.  It's much more subtle, and a bit creepier than U2's.

Patti Smith, one of U2's biggest influences, honors them with her piano based cover of "Until The End Of The World." Accompanied by her sons on piano and guitar, and a bass player, it's much different and more sober, and maybe more sad, than the original.

Garbage, who opened for U2, makes their return to active duty with "Who's Gonna Ride Your Wild Horses?"  Like U2 during this era, Garbage wrestle with getting soul into the intersection of humans playing instruments and programmed computer music.  Few do it well, but U2 and Garbage both did. I look forward to hearing Garbage's comeback album.

Depeche Mode, a peer of U2's, picked the perfect song for themselves with "So Cruel." It's interesting to hear them cover something from this era, since Achtung Baby (and Zooropa and Pop) are the closest U2 came to Depeche Mode's electronic sound. I've always thought that this is one of U2's most underrated songs (if I remember correctly, it's the only song from the album they didn't play on the tour).  Depeche Mode really put their own spin on it.

Friend of U2 Gavin Friday takes one of my favorites, "The Fly," and makes it sound a bit sneakier.  It's a bit more electronic, and like NIN's "Zoo Station," mostly strips The Edge's badass riff from the song.  It almost sounds like he's covering a remix. It's very cool though.

One of my favorite artists, Jack White closes the album with a very emotional "Love Is Blindness," the closest thing to a blues song U2 has ever done.  The Edge wrote that one when he was going through a divorce, and sadly, Jack just went through one. He brings a lot of sorrow to the song,  it's the highlight of the album for me, and one of the best songs of 2011.

I don't love every song on the album, and of course you can just buy the songs you like, but because the money goes to a worthy cause, I downloaded the whole thing.

TOMORROW ON THE MORNING JOLT: NEW YEAR, NEW MUSIC

Tomorrow morning on SiriusXM OutQ's Morning Jolt with Larry Flick, I'm going to be talking about some music that you may not have heard yet.  Of course, most of it sounds like it's old, even though it's new.  Larry is on the air weekdays from 7 am - 11 am ET, and he hosts a music show Feel The Spin Sundays at 2 pm.  If you don't have a SiriusXM subscription (yet), go here and get a free online trial .


First off, Vintage Trouble.  Even though they are from L.A.'s famed Laurel Canyon, their music isn't available here in the U.S. (although it is available in the U.K.).  I don't know why. They are a classic soul band.  I read about them in Mojo magazine, which is where I discover most of my music.  These guys have an amazing video for "Nancy Lee" (shot on iPhones and featuring one of the Pussycat Dolls). I really think that this band will make a lot of noise in 2012, but I don't care if they do or not: I'm buying their album and telling people about it. The singer, Ty Taylor, has a great voice (apparently, he was a contestant on the show Rock Star, which attempted to find a new lead singer for INXS).

Jonathan Wilson is also from Laurel Canyon, and seems to be the center of the new scene there.  Apparently he has built guitars for the likes of Jackson Browne, and has worked as a studio musician for Elvis Costello, Jenny Lewis and Jonathan Rice. He's also produced records for Dawes.  It's not just that the guy is from Laurel Canyon, he sounds like he's from the Laurel Canyon of the late '60s and early '70s: like he could have been jamming with Jackson Brown and Crosby Stills & Nash back in the day.  I "discovered" him in either Mojo or Uncut. 

Michael Kiwanuka is a British singer (but he's from Uganda).  As much as the two artists above don't sound like they're from this era, MK really doesn't sound like he's from the 2010's.  He sounds like the '60s or '70s.  I don't know how to describe him. He sounds like Bill Withers but also like Otis Redding, if they were making an album like Van Morrison's Moondance.  Another Mojo discovery.  I think he's great, but I don't know if he'll catch on here. But Adele loves him: he opened for her in the U.K.

Gary Clark Jr.  Well, if you've been following me, you know of him.  I talked about him last week on Larry's show, his Bright Lights EP was my 5th favorite release of 2011. I am really looking forward to his full length album that comes out this year.

We may also get to some other new(ish) names tomorrow, if we do, I'll write about them at a later time.

TIE FOR #11: MIRANDA LAMBERT "FOUR THE RECORD"

I like a lot of contemporary country singers, but Miranda Lambert is one who I am an actual fan of. This chick is a badass.  The cover of the album kind of says it all.  Cute girl walking (not running) away from a car on fire as the sun is rising (or setting). Her latest solo album, Four The Record, nearly made my Top 10 of 2011.

"Fastest Girl In Town," co-written by Miranda and Angaleena Presley (from Miranda's group The Pistol Annies), is my favorite from the album. It is a rockin' track that I could hear a metal gal, or a female R&B singer, pulling off. It's not about the genre, it's about the attitude.  Another song that she didn't write, but seems perfect for her, is "Mama's Broken Heart," where she explains that when her heart gets broken, she doesn't fix her makeup like her mom would have done.  Nah, she cuts her bangs with a rusty scissor, numbs the pain "at the expense of my liver" and is "holding the matches when the firetrucks show up."   On the other hand, she writes and sings "Safe," a lovely ode to a guy (likely her husband, country singer Blake Shelton).

One of the things I like about Miranda is that she can totally rock out (as on "Fastest Girl"), she can do traditional country ("Dear Diamond," "Same Old You") and then go into left field (playing with autotune on "Fine Tune").

As I mentioned, Miranda also has a new group, Pistol Annies, with Angaleena Presley and Ashley Monroe (who has collaborated with The Raconteurs and also worked with Jack White on Wanda Jackson's album). I like them also, and I hope it's a long term thing, not just a one-off.  I just liked Miranda's solo album better, but both records are definitely worth hearing.

"THE YARDBIRDS ULTIMATE!" - YOU NEED TO HAVE IT

It's crazy to think that Eric Clapton, Jeff Beck and Jimmy Page were all once members of the same band, The Yardbirds. Not at the same time, of course!

Clapton actually replaced original lead guitarist Anthony "Top" Topham early on in the band's career. The material they did with Clapton is among the best rock/blues/R&B you'll hear ever, their covers are up there with what the Stones were doing at the time. For my money, it's some of the best stuff Clapton has ever done. Clapton split after the band's big hit "For Your Love" (which he claims not to have played on) because it was too commercial (ironic, when you consider some of the things he's done in his solo career!).

He was replaced by Jeff Beck, ushering in a much more creative era for the band. This is when the band began moving in more jazzy and psychedelic directions.  It's my favorite era of the band.  Soon, Jimmy Page joined - as the bass player - but soon moved to guitar.  And then, Jeff was canned. Page's version of the band was pretty cool, but pretty much overshadowed by what he turned the band into - The New Yardbirds, later known as Led Zeppelin.

For years, The Yardbirds' legacy wasn't well tended, it was hard to figure out what albums to get, and even which guitarists were on which album.   But in 2001, Rhino combined all the eras of the band's career into one very well annotated collection, The Yardbirds Ultimate! I recommend this so highly.   I just listened to the whole thing, and was amazed, once again, by how great this band was.  What a tragedy that frontman Keith Relf is no longer with us - a Yardbirds reunion with Beck and Page, with Relf singing, that would have been amazing.

BACK IN THE DAY: ANTHRAX "AMONG THE LIVING"

I've been listening to Anthrax' Worship Music lately, their reunion with singer Joey Belladonna.  To me, it was the best metal album of 2011, and I know a lot of other people feel the same way.

It got me listening to what is probably the band's best album, Among The Living, which was released in 1987, the year I graduated from high school, a time when I was really into thrash metal. This album blew my mind. As everyone knows, they were part of the "Big 4" of thrash metal, along with Metallica (the album was actually dedicated to the then-recently departed Cliff Burton), Slayer and Megadeth. But those other bands were from the west coast, Anthrax definitely brought a lot of east coast flavor and culture. I wasn't familiar with hardcore punk at the time, but the New York's hardcore scene was definitely an influence on the group, as was hip-hop music, which was exploding in New York at the time, and in my opinion (I know, I'm old) was much cooler back then.

They seemed really different from other metal bands: they kind of had more of a sense of humor (as seen in their "NOT" mascot), they dressed differently (Run-DMC style training jackets, boarder shorts) and had really cool lyrical influences that I definitely related to: comic books (I knew that Scott Ian was a bit fan of Frank Miller's Batman Returns) and Stephen King. There were also songs with some kind of consciousness to them: "Indians," like Iron Maiden's "Run To The Hills" was about how Native Americans got screwed over. As I mentioned, I didn't know much about punk rock at that time, so the idea of having a social consciousness in heavy music was a new concept to me.  Also, "N.F.L." about the stupidity of John Belushi's death: not many metal bands sang about the real pitfalls of drug abuse like that. In "One World," they sang about "Russians - they're only people like us!" and "Americans: stop singing 'Hail To The Chief!'" A lot of the metal audience is more politically conservative today, I wonder how it would go over.  But man, what a ballsy move. Even "Imitation of Life" really resonated with me.  It was about phony people, and it also ripped on hair metal bands (even though years later, Anthrax would agree to open some shows for motley crue).

The above is all well and good, but when I listened to the album, it still sounded so great, so powerful, and that's what matters. I'm not always the biggest fan of Joey Belladonna's voice (I prefer John Bush, who replaced him), but I had to admit, he sounded great on last year's Worship Music, and he's perfect on Among The Living. The other thing that separated Anthrax from the other Big 4 bands was that their singers didn't sing, they were shouters.  Which is fine.  But Belladonna gave Anthrax a connection to other metal legends with great singers, like Maiden and Judas Priest.

I always felt that Anthrax didn't ever really get their due, but they have achieved a kind of legendary status.  This album explains why.  By the way, I was listening to the 2009 expanded reissue, not a bad package.  The liner notes by metal fan/comedian Brian Posehn make it worth the price of admission.  The bonus tracks really don't.  But the bonus disc is the "home video" (as they called it back then) Oidivnikufesin (N.F.V.) on DVD, which is cool.

TIE FOR #11 - THE BEASTIE BOYS "HOT SAUCE COMMITTEE PART TWO"

I was so happy to hear that The Beastie Boys will be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame this year. What makes that more amazing is the fact that they are still putting out great records, as evidenced by Hot Sauce Committee Part Two.  Unfortunately, the album didn't get much attention. A lot of that is because they couldn't do too much promotion, since Adam Yauch is still battling cancer. But you really wouldn't have guessed that by listening to the album.

It's a straight up hip-hop record. There's no instrumental funk jams (which they probably got out of their system last time, on the instrumental album The Mix-Up). There's no hardcore punk, or hard rock jams.

That's a risky move for a bunch of guys in their mid to late 40s.  The current commercial hip-hop community probably aren't paying attention to them (although they get respect from the people who have a sense of history... and the fact that Nas guests on "Too Many Rappers" doesn't hurt either).  The production doesn't sound like it has an ear to 2011, or even 2001.  It's kind of timeless: on one hand, it sounds like old-school electro hip-hop.  On the other hand, it's very futuristic, but not in the Black Eyed Peas Euro-rave-Blade Runner way. They don't work with outside producers - they produce the tracks themselves.  Not many other hip-hop acts produce their own albums.

One thing that hasn't changed is that they still make great videos.  There's a half hour video "Fight For Your Right Revisited" (which is based on the banger "Make Some Noise") and also a Spike Jonze directed clip starring action figures for "Don't Play No Game That I Can't Win." You can catch them here.   But as for the album itself, it's a great one.  I'm sure some people will say that they aren't "relevant to the hip-hop community" anymore.  But shit, I'm 40+, I don't care about "relevant" I care about "great," and this is a great album.

TIE FOR #11 - CHARLES BRADLEY "NO TIME FOR DREAMING"

Charles Bradley's debut album No Time For Dreaming has a great story behind it. First of all, he's over 60 years old... probably one of the oldest people to release a debut. He spent much of his childhood in the streets, his life was changed when he saw James Brown in concert in 1962. He started singing after that, but didn't get his big break until recently, courtesy of Daptone Records (home of Ms. Sharon Jones).  You can read his whole bio at his website.

As I often say, context is great, but how's the music?  Well, on No Time For Dreaming, the music is great. Daptone Records kind of fetishize the soul music of the '60s, but can you blame them?  It was a great era.  Mr. Bradley is perfect for the label: he isn't just a James Brown disciple, he also has a lot of Otis Redding in his voice as well.

The album's main single, "The World Is Going Up In Flames," is a song for 2011 (or 2012), and it would have worked equally as well in 1962. But there's lots of other great songs on the album.

The backing band on the album is phenomenal, and I have to give a lot of credit to the label for signing Mr. Bradley, and really getting behind him. This is a soul album. It's not R&B, and it doesn't make any references to hip-hop.  Which makes it a tough sell in 2011 and 2012. If you put some of these songs on a playlist of Stax songs from the '60s, they would fit in. It's not just the sound, it's the songs.  If you love soul music, check this album out.